The three industry associations Wind Denmark, Dansk Energi and Dansk Solkraft propose in a letter to the parliament's energy committee on 25 January 2022 that a dedicated power-to-x task force be established. It shall ensure a smooth approval process and act as a one-stop-shop for both domestic and foreign power-to-x players and investors.
The task force must also assist the municipalities that have planning authority on land to ensure quality and speed in case processing.
The three industry associations mention that power-to-x projects go across many of the sectors in the energy system (electricity, gas, hydrogen, infrastructure) and that the projects set new requirements in connection with health and safety and environmental approvals.
The current approval processes are divided between many different authorities, where the experience and resources are small and not geared to be able to handle the need for efficient and flexible authority processing across the state and municipalities.
In addition, the approval of power-to-x enterprises is a new exercise for most municipalities and state authorities, and there is a lack of basic experience with the approval of the projects and facilities.
Therefore, there is also a need for accumulation of "best practices" within the authorities according to the three industry associations. They remind that the Danish power-to-x strategy contains a target of 6GW electrolysis capacity by 2030.
Finally, it is pointed out that all stakeholders need an overview and a helping hand to navigate the various sets of rules, so as to ensure a streamlined, efficient and good planning and application process.
The principle of "one-stop-shop" has for many years been known within offshore wind and offshore oil and gas, where the Danish Energy Agency has acted as a "focal point" for applications and approvals that are otherwise processed by a number of other authorities.
WSCO has extensive experience with this form of regulatory coordination. In additions we have for several years followed developments in power-to-x, where we assist a large number of companies. It seems obvious to gather experience and case processing in the area of power-to-x in the form of either a task force or by placement with a single, central authority.
The challenge will be, as the associations are also aware, that the granting of permits for the use of power-to-x and the health and safety regulation is - and probably should continue to be - placed with at least two different authorities. With due respect to this principle, however, in WSCO's view it should definitely be possible to streamline and simplify case processing and bring together all essential processes in a "one-stop-shop.
